The 2021-2025 Utilities Kingston strategic plan  was received and approved by our Board of Directors on May 28, 2021. Our progress in this first year is outlined below.

In addition to these highlights, the organization mitigated significant risk as the Board appointed a new President and CEO for the corporation; as the outgoing CEO, Jim Keech, retired afer contributing many effective and productive years of strong leadership in the role.

Theme 1: Impact of COVID-19 over the next five years

The COVID-19 pandemic is shaping organizations in ways never seen before. As people in highly populated areas are expected to head to less-populated regions of the country, this could provide growth opportunities for the municipality of Kingston. We are committed to supporting employees, customers, and our Shareholder, as we ensure health and safety, and the reliable delivery of basic utility services.

2021 highlights

Here are the actions we took to protect the health and safety of employees and the public. In 2021, there was no evidence of a workplace outbreak of COVID-19 at Utilities Kingston.

  • Provided operational flexibility to manage staffing levels and ensure business continuity, while minimizing the impact to employees. In example, we provided work-from-home options, flexible hours and paid time off during provincial lock-down.
  • Met and exceeded provincial requirements for masking, screening and physical distancing. 
  • Delivered 25 COVID-19 related risk assessments, policies and procedures, including a mandatory vaccination policy.
  • Provided regular communications with employees, including through internal email, survey, and bi-monthly virtual general meetings. 
  • Collaborated with industry partners to help ensure best practices in policies, procedures and plans. 
  • Offered payment assistance and support for provincial assistance programs,  for customers who were struggling due to the economic downturn associated with the pandemic. 
  • Increased online services, to reduce physical contact and support distancing requirements. 
  • Contributed to the KFL&A Public Health wastewater surveillance dashboard. Our treatment operators have been sampling wastewater at Cataraqui Bay and Ravensview Wastewater Treatment Plants since June 2020, currently on a daily basis. We are excited to play this essential part in advancing the science of sewer surveillance for early detection of the COVID-19 virus in Kingston. 

These actions allowed Utilities Kingston to deliver on our promise: to protect the health and safety of employees and the public, while ensuring the delivery of basic utility services that the community relies on.

Theme 2: The pivotal relationship with the City of Kingston

Our relationship with our Shareholder, the City of Kingston, is at the heart of our unique multi-utility model. It’s resulted in solid asset management practices, low costs for utility consumers and superior customer service for the community. By working together, and sharing an understanding of needs, we are poised to best support community goals. These include the City’s growth, development, and climate change goals, and further strengthening the unique, local multi-utility model.

2021 highlights

  • Identified key stakeholders, in a November 2021 report to the Utilities Kingston Board of Directors.
  • Began preliminary work to identify metrics that will be reported to stakeholders. 
  • Supported City of Kingston events and initiatives, for example through sponsoring the Love Kingston Marketplace, and completing research for the Better Homes Kingston initiative.

Theme 3: Networking business

COVID-19 has put a spotlight on the criticality of internet access. Whether to stay in touch with family and friends, access public services like health care and education, or run a business and work from anywhere, nearly everyone relies on high-speed internet every day. Meanwhile, equitable access to the internet is essential to ensuring the social and economic success of communities across the world, including Kingston.

2021 highlights

  • Updated the market demand study. 
  • Moved forward on a plan for addressing gaps in broadband access and performance, in Kingston and the surrounding area, by releasing a request for proposal for partners. Subsequently, the province announced provincial funding for rural broadband, changing the competitive landscape for residential broadband.  We decided to stop the RFP process and will monitor next provincial funding steps, looking for ways to support the rollout of rural broadband in our serving areas.

Theme 4: Meeting customer expectations

Consumer values are changing. Utility customers of the future will demonstrate increased care for the environment, will want to buy “sustainable” products and services and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and will desire innovative approaches to revenue generation, technology interfaces and rate mitigation.

2021 highlights

The results of the customer satisfaction survey we conducted in 2021 indicate we have maintained our overall customer satisfaction score of ‘A’. Ninety-six per cent of surveyed customers are satisfied with the services we provide.

Utilities Kingston manages the assets of Kingston Hydro Corporation. In 2021, the Ontario Energy Board published the Kingston Hydro Scorecard for 2020, in which we exceeded the industry targets for most "Customer Focus" Performance Outcomes. 

Theme 5: Asset management

By monitoring and responding to community needs, our asset management plans can help create new local economic development opportunities and provide enhanced services for residential, industrial, and business customers.

2021 highlights

  • Initiated long-term capital infrastructure planning for 2023-2026, to manage assets for sustainability.
  • Monitored for new technologies and applications for innovative approaches to understand asset condition and replace or rehabilitate infrastructure assets. 
  • Initiated an update to our requests for proposals, to incorporate clean energy benchmarks and carbon footprint reduction into procurement processes.
  • Initiated pilot application of real-time-data in operational decision making, for the efficient delivery of utility services.

Theme 6: Climate action leadership

We share the City’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and remain a committed partner in being a climate action leader. Energy and water systems are increasingly affected by extreme weather events due to climate change, so all utility companies must increase the pace, scale, and scope of efforts to ensure safe and reliable water and energy delivery.

2021 highlights

  • Supported the City of Kingston as it investigates active transportation and the electrification of the municipal fleet and transit system.
  • Continuously considered the feasibility of replacing Utilities Kingston and Kingston Hydro fleet vehicles with electric and hybrid models, when vehicles and equipment near end of life.
  • Supported Better Homes Kingston through promotion, research and development.
  • Participated on Canada Water Network Strategic Working Group, Accelerating Net Zero Actions Across the Canadian Water Sector. 
  • Ongoing participation in the IESO Energy Manager Program to improve energy management practices, achieve energy savings and reduce energy consumption, and be part of a learning community of energy managers across the province.
  • Furthered the Kingston Biosolids & Biogas Master Plan. In 2021, we  began to advance the Phase 3 “Alternative Design Concepts for the Preferred Solution” of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment.